West Ottawa superintendent Tom Martin has his eye set on running a sustainable school district for years to come, but that success can't come without community engagement.

Next spring, the district plans to put a bond issue before voters. However, before doing so, the district is asking for volunteers to sit on a community task force.

“The important thing is that we get feedback from the community,” Martin said.

"We need their help in identifying their priorities because we have more needs than money, and my experience in passing bonds is that the voice of the community is imperative when putting forth a bond proposal.”

Martin said the group will ideally be made up of about 60 people who will identify the district’s needs and develop a long-term facilities plan, resulting in the 2014 bond election.

Thoughtful planning and discussion have gone into the decision to put a proposal before voters, Martin wrote in the district’s July newsletter.

Last summer, the district refunded $66 million in bonds that will save taxpayers about $7 million over the next several years. That move, Martin wrote, will allow the district to put two issues on the ballot next year, generating $85 million through 2019 by extending the length of current bonds without raising the current millage.

The taskforce will meet throughout the fall to identify district priorities and, in November, will present its recommendation to the board of education with a vote set for Dec. 7.

Although the details of the bond proposal are far from being finalized, Martin said he anticipates much of the discussion will be centered on technology upgrades and building updates.

Before his time at West Ottawa, Martin led a successful bond campaign in 2010 as superintendent of Kenowa Hills Public Schools. The $16 million bond included technology upgrades in each elementary building as well as improvements to instructional spaces and athletic facilities.

In May 2011, West Ottawa voters denied a $26 million bond proposal. About 70 percent of voters voted down the issue, which included technology upgrades, a multi-purpose athletic stadium and a performing arts center. At the time, West Ottawa superintendent Pat Koeze told The Sentinel she thought the proposal failed because of the state of the economy, gas prices and the timing of the election.